Climate Club Dinner

The Procopio Climate Club is a periodic gathering of prominent business, political, technical, and policy leaders for the purpose of education and discussion on climate related issues¹. The meetings are hosted at a private home, member’s social club or business facility. Panelists or guest speakers review and discuss, current climate issues including science, economics, legislation, regulation, litigation, and policy matters. Following the topic overview, a discussion between all members takes place.

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Recently, the Climate Club presented a 3-part series on "Water and Energy"

• Part I: The Opportunity in Shortage (November 19, 2010)
• Part II: Pricing Water (January 28, 2011)
• Part III: The Nexus between Water and Energy (March 25, 2011)

The series discussions will focus on changes to our water portfolio and water supply through diversity and innovation, costs of water, water sustainability, and the nexus between water and energy.

Series Host: Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Series Sponsors:  San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation

"Part I: The Opportunity in Shortage"

Presenters

• Maureen Stapleton, General Manager for the San Diego County Water Authority
• Grame Barty, Regional Director of the Americas for the Australian Trade Commission

Program Topics
Maureen Stapleton provided a primer on San Diego's current water supply. Director Barty will discussed lessons learned in Australia, the importance of water security in our water planning and management, the need to change our perceptions of water for living needs as well as economic growth, and drew parallels from the energy sector in "smart grid" like community approaches to water demand and supply.

Moderator

• John J. Lormon, Esq., Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

"Part II: Pricing Water"

Presenter

• Mark Pisano, Senior Fellow, USC School of Policy, Planning and Development

Program Topic
Mr. Pisano discussed water pricing strategy and rate structure specifically as it relates to the Metropolitan Water District. He examined the role of water pricing in encouraging conservation, developing local water supplies and establishing equity and financial stability among water agencies.

Moderator

• John J. Lormon, Esq., Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP
  

Learn more about Part II of our Water and Energy Series here.

"Part III: The Nexus Between Water and Energy"

Presenter

• Robert C. Wilkinson, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara; Co-Chair, U.S. Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable; Advisor, California Energy Commission
  

Program Topic
Water, Energy, and Climate: Integrated Planning and Policy for Economics, Environment, and Security Integrated policy, planning, and management of water and energy in the context of climate change can provide multiple economic, social, and environmental benefits. Climate change and variability pose new challenges for both water and energy management. This talk focused on the energy/water nexus and discuss response strategies that integrate water, energy, and climate mitigation and adaptation.

Moderator

• John J. Lormon, Esq., Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Learn more about Part III of our Water and Energy Series here.

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In addition to our series on water and energy, Climate Club Dinners have included the following programs:

"Climate Science and Climate Policy: Feeling the HEAT"

During this interactive discussion, a panel of climate scientists responded to questions about how the club members viewed climate science, whether the science is credible, and whether climate scientists communicate their message effectively.  The scientists also discussed the role of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change the controversy surrounding leading British scientists from the University of East Anglia.

Hosts: Patty and Rick Elkus
Panelists:

• Andrew Dickson, Professor-in-Residence in Marine Chemistry, University of California San Diego
  
• Ralph Keeling, Professor of Geochemistry, Geosciences Research Division, University of California San Diego
  
• Dr. Richard Somerville, Nobel Laureate, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Climate Science, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
• Jan Strode, President and CEO of CEO Advisors and CEO of Global Green Advisors
• Ray Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Geochemistry and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of California San Diego
  

Moderator

• Reo Carr, Editor-in-Chief, San Diego Business Journal
  

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"Follow the Herd to the Climate Club"

Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, a zoologist and founder of Save the Elephants, is world renowned for his ground-breaking study of elephants in Tanzania.  Dr. Douglas-Hamilton discussed the effects of climate change on the African and Asian elephant populations.

Hosts: June and Lee Stein
Presenter:

• Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Zoologist and a Leading Authority on African Elephants
  

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"Rising Sea Level…Climate Change and the California Coastline"

San Diego beaches are a relatively thin sand veneer overlying bedrock. The sand is dynamic, moving offshore in response to winter waves, and returning to the upper beach under the influence of gentle summer swells. Rising sea level will likely exacerbate beach erosion and coastal flooding during storms. During this Climate Club Dinner, Professor Guza shared his expertise on waves, beach erosion, the impact of climate change on near shore environments, and forecasted what the future holds for Southern California coastal communities.

Hosts: Salah Hassanein & Zondra Rhodes at their Del Mar beach house
Presenter:

• Robert Guza, Ph.D., Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego

Special Guest:

• Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of UCSD
  

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"The Penguins are Coming…"

During this Climate Change Dinner, Pamela Yochem, D.V.M., Ph.D., presented an overview of her climate change research in Antarctica, which includes tracking the increase of melting ice shelves and the release of icebergs into the Southern Ocean as temperatures rise, measuring historic atmospheric greenhouse gas levels by sampling air pockets trapped within ice layers, and research being conducted by the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute concerning how climate change is affecting the penguin population in Antarctica.

Hosts: Katherine Kennedy & Robert Horsman
Presenters:

• Julie Scardina, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Ambassador, and frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
  
• Pamela K. Yochem, Senior Research Biologist, Population Biology, Marine Mammal Health and Disease, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
  
• Lauren R. DuBois, Assistant Curator of Birds, SeaWorld San Diego, Responsible for Penguin Facility

Special Guest:

• "Penny," a Magellanic Penguin

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"Climate Science, Climate Research and Climate Policy Issues"

Dr. Richard Somerville led a climate conversation that included the topics of climate science, the latest climate research, climate policy issues, and other topics from his book: "The Forgiving Air."

Hosts: Charles and Diane Smith
Presenter:

• Dr. Richard Somerville, Nobel Laureate, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Climate Science, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
  

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"Climate Change: Treaties, Legislation, Due Diligence, and Litigations"

Mr. Lormon reviewed the international climate treaties, national and state climate legislation, securities exchange commission greenhouse gas reporting guidelines, the impact of green house gas on land use planning, and climate change litigation.

Hosts: Bill Toone and Sunni Black
Presenter:

• John J. Lormon, Esq., Partner, and Clean Tech, Energy and Climate Change Practice Group Leader, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP
  

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Previous Climate Club Dinner hosts have also included:

Informal discussions of climate science and policy on world oceans and its impact on California.
Previous Hosts and Discussion Leaders:

• George Haligowski, Inaugural Climate Club Dinner Host
  
• Charlie Kennel, Discussion Leader
• Enrique Landa
• Dr. Tony Haymet, PhD, DSc, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Supervisor Ron Roberts, Member, California Air Resources Board

Pamela Yochem introduces Penny the Magellanic Penguin to the Climate Club at the
home of hosts Katherine Kennedy and Robert Horsman.

¹ The Climate Club does not take positions on political policies related to climate change issues.